Norman Kirk
Norman Kirk was the Prime Minister of New Zealand in 1972 and till his death in office in 1974. He was born on 6 January 1923, Waimate in South Canterbury and died 31 August 1974. Norman Kirk was very passionate about two very important issues of his time in office, these were his refusal to let the South African rugby team visit because of apartheid, and the other was the of French testing nuclear weapons at Mururoa. Kirk was also well noted for his withdrawal of troops from Vietnam and abolishment of compulsory Military Training.
Norman Kirks first actions against the nuclear testing by the French came through when upon his election, he aligned himself with Australia, and took France to the International Court of Justice in 1972. Norman Kirk also announced his stance through his decision to send two navy frigates to the Mururoa, and the French testing atoll. Kirk sent the frigates called the HMNZS Canterbury, and HMNZS Otago, into the testing area. Another decision that was created was the one where Kirk put all the names of people in his cabinet into a hat and pulled out a name to see who would accompany the frigates to Mururoa. the person who was sent was Fraser Coleman who was the minister for immigration and mines. Fraser Coleman left Auckland on the 25th June 1972, on the Otago along with the crew of 242, and set sail for Mururoa.
Norman Kirk saw it as his duty to assist the anti nuclear activists on the Fri and made sure that that the HMNZS Canterbury was in contact with the Fri. While on board Coleman and the rest of the crew witnessed an atmospheric test conducted by the French. Another was witnessed, when Coleman was transferred to the Canterbury, who relieved the Otago of their duty, and witnessed another test. This strong stance shown by Norman Kirk and the government who worked with the Fri did have success out of this, as the French President in 1974 Valery Giscard d'Estaing who ordered for the nuclear tests to move underground. Even though this was not as great of a victory for New Zealand and its government it was a start. However this soon meant nothing to New Zealand after the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior was seen as an act of terrorism against a supposed ally.
Norman Kirks first actions against the nuclear testing by the French came through when upon his election, he aligned himself with Australia, and took France to the International Court of Justice in 1972. Norman Kirk also announced his stance through his decision to send two navy frigates to the Mururoa, and the French testing atoll. Kirk sent the frigates called the HMNZS Canterbury, and HMNZS Otago, into the testing area. Another decision that was created was the one where Kirk put all the names of people in his cabinet into a hat and pulled out a name to see who would accompany the frigates to Mururoa. the person who was sent was Fraser Coleman who was the minister for immigration and mines. Fraser Coleman left Auckland on the 25th June 1972, on the Otago along with the crew of 242, and set sail for Mururoa.
Norman Kirk saw it as his duty to assist the anti nuclear activists on the Fri and made sure that that the HMNZS Canterbury was in contact with the Fri. While on board Coleman and the rest of the crew witnessed an atmospheric test conducted by the French. Another was witnessed, when Coleman was transferred to the Canterbury, who relieved the Otago of their duty, and witnessed another test. This strong stance shown by Norman Kirk and the government who worked with the Fri did have success out of this, as the French President in 1974 Valery Giscard d'Estaing who ordered for the nuclear tests to move underground. Even though this was not as great of a victory for New Zealand and its government it was a start. However this soon meant nothing to New Zealand after the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior was seen as an act of terrorism against a supposed ally.
The New Zealand government after Kirk
In 1984 United States navy vessels began coming to New Zealand, requesting to use our ports. However David Lange, another Labour Prime Minister denied access to the United States ships as they were well noted for either carrying nuclear weapons or were nuclear powered, which did not sit well with New Zealanders who had felt that the visiting of nuclear ships would invoke us as a nuclear state or could have potentially harmful effects to us. This brought about an act called the New Zealand Nuclear Freed Zone, Disarmament and Arms Control Act 1987, which states that entry into "New Zealand of 12 nautical miles by any ship whose propulsion is wholly or partly dependent on nuclear power", would be denied entry. The Nuclear Free Act also denies the creation and use of nuclear power plants or nuclear research facilities.